


fate had nothing to do with us

by queerenteen



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Universe, Colonialism, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Imperialism, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, M/M, Multi, Ozai (Avatar) is an Asshole, Platonic Soulmates, Red String of Fate, Romantic Soulmates, Tarot, The Author Regrets Everything, tw: smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:27:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27645482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queerenteen/pseuds/queerenteen
Summary: "But then there was a flash of scarlet, vivid as blood over snow--twining around Sokka's wrist and ending at the soldier's.The soldier stumbled back in horror, and Sokka knew the stricken expression was the mirror of his own.".Sokka and Zuko are soulmates.They really don't want to be. (at least, not in the beginning.)
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Mai & Ty Lee, Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 31
Kudos: 130





	1. and so it begins

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, everyone, for the overwhelming response on my previous Zukka fic: [the cracks in me are filled with gold (I am unbreaking)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25610341/chapters/62162341)  
> .  
> Whatever I do not mention in this fic will follow the canonical story.  
> Also, I will frequently club various episodes into one chapter and entirely omit the ones that have no relevance to the story.  
> .  
> Happy Reading.

Sokka's day had been _weird._

Firstly, Katara had soaked him while playing with her magic water, while _he_ was actually being productive and hunting them halibut for dinner.

Which was, fortunately, not weird, just annoying; but to Sokka, it was definitely worth mentioning.

Then, she'd gotten mad at him, causing her magic water powers to cause the waves to froth against their tiny canoe, cracks to form in the ice. 

Which wasn't just weird, but also _freaky._

"I did that?" said Katara, a mix of awe and fear in her voice.

"Yes, you did," said Sokka, with a healthy dose of fear. He was just the guy with the boomerang--he wasn't equipped to deal with overtly emotional waterbending sisters or the sudden glow of the iceberg.

He certainly didn't expect to find a boy trapped within the iceberg--eyes, and tattoos running all over his body glowing with that eerie light.

"He's alive! We have to help!" said Katara, snatching Sokka's club.

"Katara, get back here!" shouted Sokka, running after her, watching as she swung the club against the thick ice. "We don't know what that _thing_ is!"

Katara kept hitting the ice, and soon enough, it cracked open, and a gale so strong emerged from it that Sokka was knocked off his feet.

He watched as a column of blue-white light which burst from the depths of the iceberg, reaching for the sky; feeling his heart sink.

* * *

Zuko had been having a rough day.

Well, more like a rough three years but that day was especially miserable--the cold of the South Pole bit into his skin, pulling at his scar. When he ran a tentative finger along the edge, it came away red.

He snarled--he was a _prince_ , and there he was, standing on the deck of the tiniest ship in the entire navy, with a crew consisting of thugs and nobodies.

A gale blew, carrying with it the scent of ice and the cold sea--so at odds to the salt and summer breeze in the Caldera.

Then, he saw it--the pillar of white light that illuminated the entire sky--bright enough to drown everything else.

Zuko smiled. " _Finally!_ "

* * *

Sokka snorted. 'Flying bison'. How dumb did that kid think they were?

Sure, Aang might have been an airbender, but he was a slight boy while Appa weighed about ten tons.

Then, Katara and Aang had run off to go penguin sledding, leaving him alone to train the next generation of warriors.

Typical.

His fingers brushed the characters inked on his left wrist--it had only one name, Katara's--and he had a habit of doing that when he was nervous. 

His mind wandered to the bracelet around Aang's wrist, decorated with colourful wooden beads, one a cheery yellow, the other leaf green and last a blood red. 

Sokka couldn't fathom how an airbender, whose entire people had been decimated by the Fire Nation could wear that bead with such pride. 

Sokka shook his head, focusing on the task at hand. "Listen up--" he began, hoping that they would pay more attention that time.

* * *

Zuko's chest moved up and down far more rapidly than it should have after such a basic set of _katas_. 

He breathed deeply, trying to fuel his inner fire with it--but he no longer relied on his bending for warmth.

The prospect of capturing the Avatar warmed him--the chance to go home had seemed so impossible that morning.

But as _Agni_ seemed to have blessed him, he thought of Caldera, of the turtleduck pond where he used to spend so much time with his mother, the dragon throne which would be _his_.

He looked into the telescope, focusing on the region from where the signal had been triggered. 

"You're mine now, _Avatar_ ," he thought, and for the first time in a very long while, hope burned in him.

* * *

Sokka watched in horror as the Fire Nation ship broke through the ice wall with ease, how their commanding officer--who was the same age as him--apparently the Fire Nation bred monsters early; tossed him aside like a ragdoll.

It was humiliating, watching him and the other soldiers encroach on their village so easily.

But he felt a surge of pride when the soldier narrowly missed Boomerang--not understanding how the weapon worked.

There was anger in those burning gold eyes, and Sokka wondered momentarily what would have burned a firebender so badly.

"Show no fear!" cried out one the children in the village, little Aput, and Sokka knew that he had to _fight_ , not for himself but for his entire tribe.

He caught the spear with ease--he had hunted in fierce winters, taken down a snow leopard caribou by himself when he was fourteen with that very weapon.

The soldier might have had magic fire but he was on Sokka's terrain.

Sokka lunged with his spear, the soldier holding a gauntlet-clad forearm to block him.

But then there was a flash of scarlet, vivid as blood over snow--twining around Sokka's wrist and ending at the soldier's.

The soldier stumbled back in horror, and Sokka knew the stricken expression was the mirror of his own.

He almost laughed bitterly- _-of course_ , he was bound to a _Fire National--a soldier_ , one who had no problem threatening Gran-Grans and destroying their entire village.

An old man with a greying beard and a twinkle in his eye leaned over the railing of the warship. "Prince Zuko, I see you have found your thread-bound."

_What the fuck_. Not only was his _soulmate_ a _Fire Nation soldier_ , but also their _Prince._

* * *

_No, no, no._

"This can't be happening," thought Zuko wildly, as he desperately backed away.

Royals _weren't_ supposed to have _soulmates._

The soldiers around him had red silk thread wrapped around their wrists but Father and Azula's had been bare.

Even Mother hadn't wound them around her wrist.

It was unseemingly, unbecoming of a royal to be bound. 

And there he was, in their _very first meet_ , bound to a _water tribe peasant_.

Father would probably burn his other eye for it--if he was _lucky._

The spirits had never favoured Zuko, but it was as if they were having a contest to make him miserable.

He heard the whizz of metal in the air, and before he knew it he felt a slam against the back of his neck, causing the back of his helmet to jam into his skin.

That would leave a bruise.

He snarled, summoning twin daggers of fire in his palms.

He would wipe the infernal shame away when he had the Avatar.

* * *

When the Avatar slipped away from between his fingers, Zuko stood on the deck of the _Wani_ and screamed.

The phosphenes that swam before his eyes were ribbons of red, mocking him.

* * *

Aang and Katara cheerily talked about heading to the North Pole, like the last few hours hadn't happened; like they hadn't left their _home_.

Like Sokka didn't have the _Prince of the Fire Nation_ as a _soulmate._

He rummaged through one of the bags that they'd packed, searching for the map that Aang wanted.

Instead, he found a pouch and when he tugged the drawstrings open, inside lay a jet pigment made of wustite and bone char.

He debated throwing it and the needle that was next to it off Appa--he didn't need any reminders about Prince Jerkbender--Sokka was sure as _fuck_ not going to tattoo his name on his wrist.

But... he looked at Aang and Katara, the ease with which they gravitated towards.

He tucked the pouch and needle back and fished out the map.

Who knew, maybe while travelling with the Avatar, he would find soulmates he actually liked.

* * *

"Prince Zuko, do you know how rare it is for the thread to form when you first meet an echo of your soul?" 

"I _don't care_ , Uncle," said Zuko through grit teeth, going through his morning katas with choppy movements. 

"Nephew, to experience _Koi No Yokan_ is a rare and beautiful thing--like a panda lily in bloom," said Uncle, taking a sip of his ginseng tea. "To have such a deep connection that your red string of fate forms within mere minutes?" 

"Our only connection was when he hit me with his bent metal weapon," said Zuko with a sneer. 

"I believe that is called a Boomerang," said Iroh sagely. "A weapon of the Water Tribes--it requires great skill to wield." 

"Maybe he should try a sword," said Zuko, shifting into the horse stance.

Iroh held out a delicate silk thread that had been dyed a bold red with carthamin. "Zuko," said Iroh kindly. "Would you like to perform the thread ceremony?" 

Zuko took the thread from Iroh's palm and Uncle smiled. 

Zuko held it between his fingers like the tail of a mole-rat and set it aflame. 

"No," he said when the ash and smoke was all that remained. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Koi No Yokan' is a Japanese phrase for 'the premonition of love'.  
> .  
> So the 'Red thread of Fate' is not pre-determined; the most similar example I can give is the Witchlands series by Susan Dennard (an amazing atla inspired fantasy series).  
> I just wanted to mention that--I will explain it more as the fic continues.  
> .  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated!


	2. forever out of reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zhao: *exists*  
> Zuko: I have never wanted to set someone on fire so badly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying out summaries, tell me what y'all think.  
> .  
> Thank you so much for the comments and kudos.  
> They really motivated me.  
> .  
> tw: smoking

Zuko waited anxiously, his jaw clenched. 

He hated that the port closest to them was controlled by Zhao--the state of the _Wani_ was sure to attract more than a few curious glances.

Zhao was a pompous asshole with an overinflated ego and hideous sideburns--Zuko hated him on principle, but if the news came out that he had the Avatar and he got away...

If Zhao would know then Father would too. 

Not to mention the water tribe peasant...

"Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?" said a slimy voice, and oh, what Zuko would give to punch him in his stupid face.

"Captain Zhao," said Zuko, adding as much contempt in his voice as he could muster.

"It's _commander_ now," said Zhao, and Zuko desperately wanted to set something on fire. Really, of all the people in the navy, Zhao had to be promoted?

"That's quite a bit of damage," said Zhao, and Zuko forced himself to pay attention to the conversation. 

"Yes. You wouldn't believe what happened." Zuko had always been terrible at coming up with lies--unlike Azula who hadn't spoken a whole truth since she was ten. "Uncle! Tell Commander Zhao what happened."

* * *

Zuko was pleasantly surprised that Zhao seemed to buy their convoluted story but chalked it up to an act. He didn't lower his guard, even as Uncle elbowed him and told him to lighten up and have some tea.

* * *

Sokka watched Aang practically leapt out of the saddle when he spotted the rocky range in the distance.

"The Patola Mountain range! We're almost there!" said Aang excitedly and Sokka felt sick.

How could he tell a twelve-year-old boy, who wore coloured beads from all nations, who had never lived through the war, that everyone in his home had been slaughtered?

Katara tried to warn Aang, but he brushed it off, eyes sparkling with hope.

"There it is. The Southern Air Temple."

It was beautiful, nestled within the stony hollow of the mountains, overlooking the propane blue sky, dusted with white snow.

Aang patted Appa over his huge arrow. "We're home, buddy! We're home."

But to Sokka, it was also hauntingly empty--silence covered it the same way the snow did; it felt like a shrine.

Aang didn't seem to notice anything; Sokka would gladly act if it meant that Aang wouldn't feel the absence.

* * *

"Commander Zhao, we interrogated the crew as you instructed. They confirmed Prince Zuko had the Avatar in custody, but let him escape."

Zhao smiled evilly.

"That is not all Commander," said the soldier and Zuko felt fire roiling beneath his skin.

"I challenge you to an _Agni Kai,_ " said Zuko, before another word was uttered.

Iroh's gaze was on him, heavy and unrelenting. He knew what Uncle would say, some convoluted proverb about facing your fears head-on, that there was no point delaying pulling off a stuck bandage--better to do it one swift move.

Zhao smiled again, and the sight was enough to make Zuko gag, but he managed to keep his expression as one of absolute determination.

"Very well. It's a shame your father won't be here to watch me humiliate you." Zhao's dark eyes reflected the torches that surrounded them, and Zuko's mind conjured a memory of burning. He pushed the thought away. "I guess your uncle will do."

Zuko's ears were filled with the sound of blood rushing, but he heard Uncle's groan. "Prince Zuko, what have you done?"

* * *

It all went wrong eventually; when the blindfold was ripped off Aang's eyes.

* * *

"You thought your little manoeuvre had prevented me from learning the truth," said Zhao with a stupid smirk, sending another blast of flames in Zuko's way. "I know about _him."_

All of Zuko's emotions were replaced by numbness and then white-hot rage. 

Following Uncle's instructions, Zuko took great pleasure watching how his sweeping kick caused Zhao to stumble. 

* * *

Aang was still sniffling slightly, but he smiled at the vanishing crimson threads that had coiled around his wrist. 

Sokka felt a stab of anger that this boy, this powerful Avatar who could turn the air around him into a hurricane, who had just seen the decimated remains of his people--his _family_ ; was not even able to have a proper ritual to celebrate the binding. 

"I found some!" said Aang cheerily, holding up a wooden box from one of the dusty rooms in the temple. 

It was small, and the outer panels were scorched but the inside held lacquered beads--yellow, blue, green and _red._

Aang pulled out two beads the colour of the clear sea. "I wish we had some incense," he said, riffling through the drawer. 

Sokka thought of the trees with dark green leaves and sepia barks on the outskirts of the temple--the warm, fragrant scent that seemed to settle around them. "I may be able to help you with that buddy." 

* * *

"What is _wrong_ with you?" said Katara, as Sokka swung his machete against the bark at the base of the tree trunk, collecting the shavings he shorn from it off the ground. 

"I'm helping out Aang--" 

"No, the whole day, you've been acting strange. First, you tried to _eat_ Momo."

"That may have been--" 

"Probably the _last_ of his kind!" 

"I realise that now--" 

"Then when Aang found those beads, one of the few things that _survived_ from his culture, all you can do is scowl at them?" 

"Because of the red!" screamed Sokka, little pieces of aromatic wood flying out of his hands. "All I can see over here is the Fire Nation, Katara. They just came here and _ruined_ everything, just like they did to our tribe. Just like _he_ did to us." 

"Sokka," said Katara gently, wrapping her arms around him, resting her cheek against his shoulder. 

He wondered if he would have been taller than Kya, she had always seemed dwarfed by Hakoda. Not that he had a very good idea of that anymore either. 

"I'm sorry," she said, and Sokka wanted to cry. "I can't imagine what you're going through. 

"But maybe--" 

"I swear to Tui and La, Katara, if you say that the Spirits bound us so that I could help him find his way, I will jump off this cliff. 

"Do I have to remind you that he is not only from the _Fire Nation_ but also going to be the next _Fire Lord?"_

"The Spirits do not do things without a reason, Sokka," said Katara, gently rubbing her new tattoo. 

In elegant _uchen_ script, Aang's name curled around both their left wrists in dark ink. 

Before, Water Tribe threadbounds used white ink to symbolise that they were soulmates with the Avatar. 

_"It used to be a badge of honour," said Aang quietly, a small porcelain box clutched in his hand. Inside, nestled in a bed of velvet lay white opals, a small hole drilled through the sides so that they could easily be threaded._

Now, it was a flare, one that would only invite unwelcome predators. 

"I have enough," said Sokka, sorting through the long shavings of scented bark in his palm. "Let's go." 

* * *

"Father will know soon enough," said Zuko, resting his forearms against the cool edge of the ship. " _Agni,_ I am so _fucked."_

His limbs had a deep ache settled into them, and his lungs burned, but he still took a drag from the smoking _kretek_ that he held loosely between his fingers--allowing the spicy scent to overwhelm everything else. 

"Prince Zuko I--" began Uncle as he came onto the deck. "Zuko, are you _smoking?"_

_"No,"_ lied Zuko, curling his palm around the kretek. "Just practising my firebending."

"I may be an old man with poor senses--" said Iroh and Zuko scoffed. "But I can still recognise the smell of tobacco.

"Zuko," said Iroh gently, resting a palm on Zuko's shoulder. "I know that you are overwhelmed, but falling into dangerous habits is not the solution." 

"Maybe not," said Zuko, openly taking another drag, and billowing a cloud of spiced smoke. "But it does make things feel better." 

He crushed the stub beneath the sole of his steel-toed boot and walked away, leaving Uncle alone on the deck with the shade of _Agni._

* * *

"This smells exactly like the incense the monks use--" Katara and Sokka exchanged a look, but couldn't bring themselves to correct Aang's slip up. "Sokka, how did you find these?" 

"I took an educated guess," said Sokka and Katara elbowed him. 

"Stop being so pretentious." 

Aang burned the bark he called _sandalwood_ and its smell was pleasant and musky. 

Katara took her bead that had been purified with water from the holy spring that emerged from the rocks near the Temple and threaded it through Aang's bracelet. 

Sokka was next, and he delicately looped the end once he slipped on the bead. 

"Welcome to the family," said Sokka as he tied the bracelet around Aang's wrist. 

Aang beamed bright enough to rival the fire burning between them and engulfed them both in a hug. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iroh says that while you should rip off a band-aid, please never do that to a stuck bandage.  
> That will go disastrously wrong (I still have a scar to prove it.)  
> .  
> Uchen is the script used by the Tibetans (whom the Air Nomads are based on).  
> Kretek is an Indonesian cigarette consisting of cloves.  
> .  
> I am going to be really busy for a while, so I have no idea when I will next upload a new chapter, but I will try my best.  
> Kudos and comments are much appreciated.  
> .  
> Come shout at me on tumblr: [queerenteen](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/queerenteen)


	3. song of the summer storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suki: *kicks Sokka's ass*  
> Sokka: *chugging down a gallon of respect women juice* Is this love?  
> Katara: *screaming in the background* This is what I have been trying to tell you for fourteen years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am but a simple fan--I see the opportunity to fangirl over Rangshi, I fangirl over Rangshi.  
> Seriously, anyone who hasn't read the Kyoshi Novels, go read them *right now*. They are amazing!  
> (also did I mention Rangshi yet?)

When the blindfold was pulled of Sokka's eyes, he couldn't believe what he saw.

Girls dressed in green kimonos; faces covered with white and red paint which was strangely reminiscent to the cuttlefish ink he used to use as his warrior's facepaint.

But why would girls bear the marks of warriors?

"Who are you? Where are the men who ambushed us?" demanded Sokka, and the girl up front, who wore gold headgear that reminded him of a crown, narrowed her eyes at him. 

They were beautiful, dark and flecked with green, like the hill ranges they passed when they flew above on Appa.

"There were no men," she said, clenching a fist in front of Sokka, her hands dusted white and leather gauntlets covering her forearms. "We ambushed you. Now tell us, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Sokka gaped. "Wait a second, there's no way that a bunch of girls took us down."

The girl snarled, baring sharp white teeth beneath her bloodred lips, yanking Sokka forward by his collar. "A bunch of girls, huh? The Unagi is gonna eat well tonight."

* * *

It was only Aang playing the Avatar tile that got them out of that mess. 

Sokka refused to believe that the girl--Suki, what a lovely name--could beat him so easily. 

"Time for a rematch," thought Sokka as he headed over the place where one of the villagers said the girls were training.

* * *

Sokka limped back with a bruised body and an even more bruised ego.

* * *

Suki smirked as she bumped her fist against Chen's, watching Sokka walk away. 

Jiao frowned, her garnet stone bracelet clinking together as she rubbed her chin. "Shame--he's kind of pretty."

"If you ignore the raging sexism," said Chen and Suki snorted.

But Jiao had a point, Sokka was good-looking, the sharp angles of his face and the deep blue of his eyes--a colour that Suki had never seen before, the exact shade as the bay waters.

"Do you think it's a Water Tribe thing?" asked Heike innocently, her eyes still wide and trusting. She was the youngest of all the warriors, only eleven, the kohl lining her eyes slightly crooked from her lack of practice.

"I don't think so," said Suki, remembering Katara. "His sister seems to hate misogyny too."

Heike perked up. "She's so sweet and pretty," she gushed, a dreamy look in her eyes.

Suki and Chen looked at each other and stifled their laughs behind their hands.

Jiao was barely listening to Heike and smiling and nodding absent-mindedly. " _Dàjiě_ ," screeched Heike, slamming her foot against the ground and pouting. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course I am, _Mèimei_ ," said Jiao, lying through her teeth and looked at Suki and Chen for help. "You were saying how cool her waterbending was."

From behind Heike's head, Suki and Chen shook their heads violently, frantically pointing towards their heads. Chen even made a resemblance of the loops that Katara wore with her long, jet hair.

"Sorry, her hair... loopies?" said Jiao hesitantly.

Heike grinned. "They're so cool... And her eyes--"

* * *

Suki was leading the warriors through their daily warm-ups when the door opened. 

"Uh ... Hey, Suki," said Sokka tentatively, not meeting her eyes. 

She held up her hand, and all the warriors halted, glaring at Sokka with unrestrained hostility.

"Hoping for another dance lesson?" said Suki icily. If she hadn't been wearing her gloves, she would have picked her nails.

Sokka shifted uncomfortably and Suki felt viciously satisfied as she watched him squirm under the gaze of all the girls in the dojo.

"No ... I ... well, let me explain."

"Spit it out!" said Suki, rapidly becoming annoyed. She had her girls to train with--she wasn't keen on wasting her time. "What do you want?"

Sokka dropped to his knees and Suki swore she heard someone gasp. "I would be honoured if you would teach me."

Suki narrowed her eyes. 'What are you playing at?' she thought. 

"Even if I'm a _girl_?" she said, injecting as much venom as she could into her voice.

"I'm sorry if I insulted you earlier. I was ... wrong."

Suki's eyes widened. Well, she hadn't been expecting that. 

She looked over at Chen who shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'I don't know what this is about either'.

"We normally don't teach outsiders, let alone boys," she settled on finally, looking down at Sokka.

"Please make an exception," he said, widening his blue, blue eyes, before touching his forehead against the dojo floor. Suki distantly wondered what kind of fauna they had in the South Pole that Sokka had learnt the wide-eyed, 'please, please, please' look from. "I won't let you down."

Suki considered it for a moment--Sokka had clearly stated that he was in the wrong, and _wanted to be better._ That was far more than most people even considered. 

"All right," she said finally. "But you have to follow all of our traditions."

"Of course!" he said eagerly, and Suki had to suppress a smile at how excited he was.

Jiao was right--when his eyes sparkled with unbridled glee and his mouth curved in a bright grin, Sokka was _pretty._

Suki smirked, an idea forming in her mind. Sure, apparently her kicking Sokka's ass had shown him the error of his sexist ways, maybe she could also throw in some gender non-conformity. 

"And I mean _all_ of them."

* * *

"Not bad," said Suki when they stopped for a break. 

Sokka smiled, taking a drink from one of the waterskins they'd brought to the dojo, and Suki felt a light flutter catch in her throat.

She must be coming down with a cold, the strange flutters and quickening heartbeats, the flush on her cheeks which was, thankfully, concealed by her facepaint. 

"Come on," said Suki, grabbing Sokka by his gloved hand, lacing their fingers together as she dragged him along. "There's something that I want you to see."

* * *

"What is this place?" asked Sokka as they stepped into the building, a small stone bungalow that looked like it had been preserved through time. 

"The relics of Avatar Kyoshi," said Suki reverently, before stopping in front of a tapestry.

It was the largest one in the room, covering an entire wall. 

On it were two people, a tall woman dressed in a kimono and face paint, like Sokka and Suki, a gold headdress adorning her forehead. Her dark eyes were full of emotion as she gazed at the other person in the portrait, a woman significantly shorter than her-- _wearing the armour of a Fire Nation soldier._

"What--" choked out Sokka, seeing the red thread embroidered onto the tapestry, tangling between the two of them before ending at their wrists.

"That's Rangi--" said Suki, looking up reverently at the two women in the portrait, gesturing to the shorter one with ink hair and eyes like a bronze dagger; completely oblivious to Sokka's reaction. "She was one of Avatar Kyoshi's soulmates--and also her firebending master. Did you know she was the Lieutenant by the time she was seventeen?"

Sokka felt like he was going to throw up. Avatar Kyoshi was clearly bent into what he assumed was a firebending stance, while Lieutenant Rangi stood between her feet, her lithe fingers tilting the Avatar's chin up--and even in a tapestry, there was so much adoration in both their eyes, so much obvious affection and love for each other.

"Did Aang tell you?" said Sokka, his voice a harsh and broken whisper. "Did Katara?"

Suki turned towards him, confused and concerned. "Tell me what, Sokka?"

All Sokka could think of was cruel and burning gold eyes. 

_"I was supposed to love you,"_ thought Sokka hysterically, leaning back against one of the cold, stone walls. _"The Spirits chose me for you. What does that say about me?"_

"Sokka," said Suki urgently, gently clasping their hands together. Once she was in front of him, he couldn't focus on anything else. 

Suki was overwhelming, like a sudden storm.

Sokka remembered the first time he felt drops of rain that weren't mixed with sleet.

They were travelling through a remote part of the Earth Kingdom, covered with forests that stretched as far his eyes could see.

Then the heavy clouds had broken apart and they landed in the closest clearing that Appa had spotted.

Aang and Katara, exhausted, had taken shelter with Appa under the dense canopy of leaves but Sokka had stood in that open space bared to the heavens, arms spread out, tipping his head back and let the raindrops run down his face and soak his clothes. 

He had taken a deep breath, the scent of wet earth so unlike the one of fresh snow, but still tantalizing.

He took a deep breath and let himself fall, just like he had in that glade.

"Suki, I..." he began when Oyaji burst into the room, worry etched on his face. 

"Firebenders have landed on our shores!" he said frantically, gesturing for Suki to follow him.

He didn't have to.

The moment Oyaji said 'firebenders' all vulnerability slipped off Suki's face, replaced by a determined glint in her eyes, fans already held aloft in her palms.

Sokka followed in suit, pushing down the bubbling feeling that had risen within his chest, swallowing down the dread of facing _him._

* * *

Zuko had followed so many dead ends, fallen down so many rabbit-hare holes on his quest for the Avatar.

On the quest for his _honour._

He gripped the reins so hard that the leather straps cut into his palms, his knuckles white. He would not let him get away.

The street looked like it had been abandoned, but he still commands the soldiers to search it. Looks could be deceptive.

Like the girls in kimonos that jumped down from the rooftops, their faces covered with white and red paint that reminded him of the small tins and boxes that sat in neat piles on his mother's vanity table.

* * *

" _Face paint is a very important tool for an actor," said Ursa, as a giggling Zuko sat on the small pouffe in front of the mirror._

_Ursa ran careful fingers, edges dark with charcoal paint across his cheeks and Zuko stared in wonder as bold lines appeared on his reflection._

_"They help the actor become one with the part he is playing," said Ursa, flecking flakes of gold along the sides of his face. "When I am done, as you perform, you will no longer be Prince Zuko."_

_Zuko nodded sombrely, eyes wide with awe. "I am Takeo of the Spirits," he said, as his mother placed her hands on his shoulders and peered into the mirror with him. "I am the Braveheart, the general who concu... conk..."_

_"Conquered," corrected Ursa gently. "It means to take over."_

_"Like Grandfather Azulon did in the colonies?" asked Zuko innocently._

_"Yes," said Ursa, and for a moment Zuko thought he heard sorrow and regret in her voice. "And no."_

_"How can it be both?"_

_"Fire Lord Azulon's great victories of the Fire Nation colonies are places he conquered. But in the play, that is not what Takeo did._

_"He took back the land that the Dark Spirits had stolen from his people."_

_Before Zuko said anything she added, "Your Grandfather does what is best for our Nation. Just like Takeo did for his. I... I just wanted you to know--so that you can truly_ become _Takeo."_

_Ursa looked troubled: like she said something she shouldn't have. Zuko didn't like to see her like that._

_He gave her a hug, wrapping her arms around her: her_ yukata _soft against his cheek._

_She dropped a kiss on the crown of his head and then checked his face to see if any of his makeup had smudged._

_"Come on, watashi no chīsana tātorudakku," she said, placing two fingers beneath his chin and lifting his head higher. "Let's go through your lines one more time."_

_"I am Takeo of the Spirits. I am the Braveheart, the general who conquered the spirit wilds which the evil Dark Spirits had stolen from us..."_

* * *

Sokka and Suki were crouched behind a house, waiting for the opportunity to strike. 

He watched as Chen and Jiao deftly dealt with the firebenders, who were riding on _komodo rhinos,_ those things were terrifying.

How did they all even fit on that tiny ship? Shouldn't a Prince have a larger ship?

Chen deflected a fireball with her fan and Jiao used the soldier's armour against him, throwing her fan and hitting him square in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.

Suki looked at him with sad eyes, her painted lips pressed into a line. "There's no time to say goodbye."

Sokka gulped. "What about, 'I'm sorry?'"

She looked surprised, her mouth rounded in a soft 'oh', so at odds with the vicious baring of teeth that she had given him when they had met.

To be fair, he had been spouting nonsense back then.

"For what?"

He bowed his head. "I treated you like a girl when I should've treated you like a warrior."

She smiled softly. "I _am_ a warrior." 

Sokka's eyes widened when she leaned over and pressed a kiss against his cheek. When her lips moved away, he absent-mindedly pressed his fingers against the skin where they had touched.

"But I'm a girl, too." Sokka grinned giddily.

Then there was a brilliant red winding between them, beginning and ending at their left wrists. Suki and Sokka stared at it till the crimson faded away. 

Suki, forcing herself to move, held up her fans--the metal leaves glinting dangerously in the evening light.

"Get out of here," she said, in a voice that left no room for argument. "We'll hold them off."

She turned to leave but then paused, shifting her fans to one hand before cradling his jaw, her eyes blazing. "The Spirits do not determine who _you_ are, Sokka," she said fiercely. "Never forget that."

The next moment, the warmth of her rough glove was replaced by the cool wind and the memory of soft lips against his skin and a fated red thread.

* * *

Zuko wrung the water out of his hair, blood boiling beneath his skin.

"Your orders, Prince Zuko?" asked Iroh, and Zuko looked at the tiny island.

"It's nothing special," he said through grit teeth, even though he had seen the statue of Avatar Kyoshi. "A random island in the middle of Earth Kingdom waters offers nothing worthy of the Fire Lord."

Unbidden, his mother's words rose in his mind. 

_Takeo took back the land that the Dark Spirits had stolen from his people._

"Follow the Avatar's trail," commanded Zuko, before heading back to his room.

It wasn't uncommon of him to think of his mother: the turtleduck pond, an ivory comb untangling the knots in his hair gently, the soft reading from her old annotated copy of Love Among the Dragons that lulled him to sleep.

So why was this _bothering_ him?

He plucked the packet of cigarettes that he had wedged behind the headboard of his bed so that Uncle wouldn't find them. 

He climbed up to the rooftop above the control room, the metal cold beneath as he sat cross-legged on it, sliding a _kretek_ out of its packaging.

He lit it with a quick snap of his fingers and took a deep drag. 

_Watashi no chīsana tātorudakku--my little turtleduck._

It was going to be a long night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandarin:  
> Dàjiě: elder sister  
> Mèimei: younger sister  
> .  
> Yukata is essentially a more casual version of a kimono  
> .  
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!  
> .  
> I have a huge exam coming up in a few weeks and I won't be able to update before then because I really want to give it my all.  
> I was going to post this chapter later but inspiration struck and who am I to question it?  
> (But seriously, if you see me posting new chapters before my exam is done, fill my inbox telling me to study because I have zero (0) self-control.)  
> .  
> Till then you can check out my (completed) post canon Zukka fic: [the cracks in me are filled with gold (i am unbreaking)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25610341/chapters/62162341)


	4. let the cards fall where they may

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Invisible String](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26381662) by [taotu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/taotu/pseuds/taotu/works?fandom_id=65) is the reason y'all got this now and not after the rest of my exams are over. It's so good that I stayed up at night to finish this.  
> .  
> Thank you for understanding about my less than ideal schedule--I gave the exam but the results aren't out yet. I'm still in the middle of a bunch of exams and it will take a few weeks before they all get over but here's something I managed to whip up for the meantime.  
> .  
> I don't know the Asian equivalent for tarot (at least, where I am from, there isn't anything nearly as popular) but I just finished my yearly reread of the Raven Boys so... this was born.  
> .  
> Also thank you so much for the 100+ kudos!

"Aunt Wu is expecting you," said the man clad in dark robes, standing at the entrance of the _mystical studio_ of the _omniscient Aunt Wu._ Sokka couldn't help but sneer.

"Really?" said Katara, clasping her hands together in excitement. Sokka resisted the urge to gag. 

He probably said to everyone who came there--what a sham.

* * *

"Your future is full of struggle and anguish. Most of it, self-inflicted."

Well, that was rude. Sokka sputtered, "But you didn't read my palms or anything!"

Aunt Wu raised a magnificent eyebrow. "I don't need to. It's written all over your face; and your wrist."

Sokka clamped his suddenly sweaty fingers over his left wrist. He didn't have the most soulmates in the room--Aang had five and Aunt Wu had roughly a dozen crimson garnets strung across a gilded wire on her wrist, some of them engraved with what looked like petals from a lotus. And heart-bounds brought joy and not _struggle and anguish_.

"How could you _possibly_ think that?"

Aunt Wu snorted, the sound full of condescension. "I don't need clairvoyance to _know_ that, boy. I have seen water tribe soul tattoos before--most don't leave enough space to fit another name between two."

Sokka looked at his wrist and cursed. In the water tribe, the tattoos were inked immediately after the bond was formed--there was no reason for the space between Katara and Aang's names.

Aunt Wu took his chin between her fingers and raised his head, looking at his eyes. Her irises were a cold, steely grey--practical, like the sharp edge of a paring knife.

They didn't strike Sokka as the eyes of someone who would believe in figments of imagination and he was cold all over.

"Come with me," she said finally, releasing him from her tight hold. Aang protested weakly but stopped when Katara placed a hand on his shoulder, her concerned expression like a shard of ice to Sokka's heart.

He was _fine, really._

Aunt Wu's studio was enshadowed and lit by candles with a multitude of colours: burnished blue, golden and eerie green. 

She lit another when he sat in front of her, this one burning lilac. _Qali._

"What is your name?" she asked as she crushed ginkgo leaves inside a wooden mortar.

"Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe, Son of Hakoda and Kya of the Southern Water Tribe."

Aunt Wu placed sharp wedges of clear quartz on the low table surface. "To who is your soul bound to, Sokka of the Water Tribe?"

"My sister, Katara of the Water Tribe, Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads, Warrior Suki of Kyoshi--"

"Ah," said Aunt Wu, placing a single card from a deck at the centre of the table. Amidst the gold and red fire was a single figure shrouded in black, a crown on their head, swords in their both hands. 

"The King of Blades," intoned Aunt Wu, her lips pursed. "So, he is your final thread, is he not?"

"How--"

"There is only one person who this can be," said Aunt Wu. "Do you know anything about tarot?"

Sokka shook his head.

Aunt Wu shook her head. "Of course you don't. When upright, this card represents many things: authority, truth, intelligence. But if it's flipped, the power is corrupted. He becomes cruel and manipulative."

"Definitely sounds like him," said Sokka, trying to ease the tension in the air.

Aunt Wu looked unimpressed. "Look at the card once more, Sokka."

Sokka looked, and his heart leapt into his throat.

"You can't be serious--"

The card was upright. No, not precisely upright but skewed. 

"The corruption hasn't sunk into your prince yet," said Aunt Wu, pulling yet another card from the deck. 

"He's not _my_ anything," protested Sokka, shaking palms pressed flat against the table. 

Aunt Wu looked at him flatly, placing the card beside the previous one. 

The Magician. 

Great, the only non-bender is the one who gets called _the magician._

"Fantastic," muttered Sokka. 

"Funny, I thought you'd be the fool." 

Sokka sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Pay attention, child and look beyond the surface. The fool is a card with enormous potential, as is the magician. Snark all you want, but that means all you're doing is wasting it." 

Sokka felt both confused and very slightly touched. 

"Spirits guide my hand," said Aunt Wu, crushing lemon and deerbrush blossoms in her hand before picking up the final card. 

"The Ace of Cups." 

The card was, once again, tilted. 

"New beginnings and great love," said Aunt Wu, righting it. Then she flipped it. "Destruction and hatred. What will finally happen is up to you." 

Sokka rubbed his wrist--around the space which he hadn't meant to leave. 

Aunt Wu pulled out a small packet from the shelf and handed it over to him. 

Sokka brushed his fingers over the golden embroidery over the dark red fabric. 

"Learn the ways of the Spirits, Sokka. Not everyone is blessed with _Yījiànzhōngqíng."_

"With what?" 

Aunt Wu rolled her eyes like she was suffering greatly. Sokka could relate. 

"Bound at first sight," said Aunt Wu, before she frowned slightly. "Or love at first sight--it depends on the interpretation."

Sokka shivered, thinking of cold, gold eyes. 

"Send in your friend, the Avatar," she called out as he left the room. "The one destined for great things." 

"He knows that; he just wants to know his love life." 

Aunt Wu huffed. "Hundreds of generations later the Avatar remains the same." 

"Are you okay, Sokka?" said Katara, nudging the bowl of freshly refilled bean curd puffs towards him. 

He tossed them into his mouth, mumbled 'fine', opening the package that Aunt Wu had given him. 

He tipped it over his palm and a marble tile and a smooth piece of clear quartz fell out. 

"Why is there a lotus on this?" asked Katara, peering at the tile. 

Sokka shrugged as looked inside the bag and pulled out a full deck of tarot cards. 

Katara sucked in a breath. "Those are beautiful." 

Where Aunt Wu's cards had been made of thick paper and the traditional Earth Kingdom artwork that burst with colour, the set she had given him was different. 

The paper was completely stained black, and embossed with metallic lines that formed an image. 

At the top of the deck sat the fool, wearing loose robes and a careless smile. Behind the card, the Air Nation emblem was stamped. 

He shuffled the deck, the motion well-practised from the endless hours playing cards in Appa's saddle. He hummed, considering what to do, before picking up the quartz piece. He faced Katara and picked up the card from the bottom of the shuffled deck. 

_Judgement._

He didn't know what exactly it meant but it showed a great spirit, haloed by light and holding a tsungi horn to their lips. 

"Aunt Wu said that I should give this to you," said Aang, holding out a thick bundle of papers.

He leafed through the pages till he found what he was looking for.

"Judgement: obviously judgement, righteousness and reckoning." Sokka looked at the card and then back to Katara. "Huh, it seems to be working."

"Do me next!" said Aang, jumping up and down.

Sokka didn't even bother shuffling. He handed over the stone to Katara before turning over the deck and rifling through it before handing him the fool card.

"Hey!"

* * *

"How did you not predict the volcano erupting?" said Sokka, looking Aunt Wu in her knife-metal eyes. 

She looked at him flatly. "A boy went two hours before the cloud reading to find a panda lily from the lip of the volcano and didn't come back screaming. I didn't bother to waste the spirits time--they hand it out in meagre traces in the first place--because I thought it was obvious if you see a burning volcano, you tell someone."

"That's...fair."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Qali' is an archaic word for alkali--potassium. Just did my chem practicals for this last week--thought it would add to the atmospheric setting.  
> Gingko leaves, lemon, deerbrush and clear quartz all mean clarity.  
> .  
> This was one of the first scenes I thought of before writing this, so I hope y'all liked it.  
> .  
> Disclaimer: I know absolutely nothing about tarot.   
> .  
> Comments and kudos are much appreciated!


End file.
